


Taste Test

by neonsheep (combat_jorts)



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Baking, Belly Kink, Fluff, M/M, Stuffing, You could skate over it if it isn’t ur thing, just a hint, just fluff, sweets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-13 00:24:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21235064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/combat_jorts/pseuds/neonsheep
Summary: Ashe and Dedue find themselves sleepless. The only cure is midnight baking.—very slight stuffing! it’s mostly at the end if you want to avoid it!





	Taste Test

**Author's Note:**

> this makes me mega nervous to post bc it’s so self indulgent eep ;^;

Two sets of apprehensive eyes roved over the kitchen counter, now stacked high with every manner of sweet treat and pastry imaginable. Icy blue met mossy green, and the two sole inhabitants of the kitchen burst into soft laughter.

“I think we made a little too much,” Ashe snickered.

“We always do get carried away,” Dedue hummed back, cheeks dimpling as he smiled ever so slightly. 

Neither of them could sleep for various reasons, so they found themselves in the kitchen, nearly jumping out of their skin as they ran into each other in the dark. After excuses were stuttered and apologies muttered, the two quickly fell into the same rhythm they often had during the daylight hours when it was their turn to cook together (or when the kitchen was otherwise uninhabited). To stave away the shadows lurking in the mind and in the darkness clinging to the corners of the now-dishearteningly empty monastery, the pair baked and baked and baked until they no longer had space on any surface to set another tray of hot, fresh goodies. 

Ashe swiped some flour from his face with his forearm, shucking off his oven mitt as he eagerly reached for the first treat. It was a delicate little berry tart, garnished on top with amint leaf, and Ashe gingerly took a bite before his eyes widened. “Oh!”

“Good?” Dedue questioned, taking off his own oven mitts and folding his apron to put away. Ashe nodded eagerly, then finished the rest of the tart with a gusto that made a smile bloom on Dedue’s face. 

“Mhmm. Oh, it would be a shame to give all of these away. I might have to finish them off to help everyone out,” Ashe laughed out. “There are so many, though...”

Dedue had to agree— there were a lot of goodies here, but they wouldn’t be nearly as good come morning when they were no longer warm and gooey from the stove. Besides, if they ate a few, it would only put a dent in their stash— there would be plenty left for everyone else in the morning. “It would not hurt to eat a few,” Dedue said mildly as he gently plucked a cookie from a tray, admiring the way it still shone with melted butter. He took a bite, eyes widening at the flavor. It was salty-sweet, buttery, and soft to the point of almost being crumbly. For something so simple to make, it was absolutely delicious.

“Shortbread,” Ashe supplied helpfully around his own mouthful of a Duscur-style pastry, flaky and golden brown with a smattering of powdered sugar. “It’s my guilty pleasure.”

“It is lovely,” Dedue replied, eyeing the way Ashe eagerly dug into just about every tray and baking sheet they had with amusement. His features didn’t quite show it, but he looked on with fondness. Since Dedue had returned after being feared dead, he and Ashe had reconnected through their shared interest in culinary arts once more, and it had been more than a blessing for Dedue, who had amassed quite a few of his own ghosts in the years since their school days. In other words, Ashe was wonderful company. 

So they continued to tuck into their treats with Ashe eventually offering up the excuse that they were simply “taste testing” them in everyone else’s stead. Each time one of them picked up a treat they hadn’t tried before, the other explained it. Dedue had shared his mother’s favorite salty-sweet porridge and his sister’s special spicy-savory treat, rolled in a thin flaky dough. Ashe had fondly shared his parents’ bread recipe for special occasions, fragrant and chock-full of cold weather fruits and berries, and a light and fluffy fruit parfait Lonato had served him as a child. 

They smiled, reminisced, and laughed, eventually dragging chairs into the room to rest their tired legs as they ate. Dedue wasn’t much for snacks or even big meals, so he began to wind down even as Ashe continued to plow eagerly through their collection. So as to not make Ashe feel awkward, Dedue continued to nibble here and there, but he was largely through. “I don’t suppose you like sweets,” Dedue teased, though his tone was flat. Ashe seemed to catch his meaning anyway, viridian eyes brightening with mirth. 

“Not at all. What makes you say that?” he volleyed back, popping the last of some sort of cake into his mouth and smiling cheekily. Dedue’s resulting laughter was a low rumble in his chest, almost undetectable aside from the shaking of his shoulders. It seemed Ashe had seen it indeed, and he began to beam. 

Dedue was rather impressed by the amount Ashe had gone through as he surveyed the damage they’d done to their haul— he’d easily eaten twice or thrice what Dedue had despite his slight frame. He supposed it had something to do with that constant positive energy the other seemed to possess— something had to fuel it, after all. The thought of someone so small putting away so much food flustered him for reasons he didn’t know, nor did he really want to find out, so he shoved those thoughts back down, locking them away where they came from where he hopefully wouldn’t reach them again.

He was woefully mistaken.

Ashe let out a rather heavy sigh as he leaned back against his chair, whatever pastry he’d just made short work of apparently being the cherry on top. Dedue snuck a glance only for his eyes to widen minutely at the sight before him. Oh, he was staring now— he wasn’t sure why— but he couldn’t take his eyes off of Ashe’s pretty pink mouth, his reddened and freckled cheeks, the way his eyes half lidded and his belly pressed his shirt. Ashe’s hand skirted the curve of it, breaths coming short and shallow as he dipped along the bottom, coming up over the little swell. “I... I think I got carried away,” Ashe admitted softly, embarrassedly. Dedue immediately looked away, cheeks ablaze and eyes averted. 

“I-I did not mean to push you,” he murmured, feeling sick to his stomach. How could his own fantasies have meddled with his mind so? His dear friend was surely uncomfortable now thanks to his selfishness. Dedue closed his eyes against the dropping of his stomach and the sharp pang of regret in his chest. “You didn’t truly have to eat so much. I am positive the others will ensure that these do not go to waste.”

“N-No, no, you didn’t push me,” Ashe quickly amended, to which Dedue perked up, surprised but wary. “I... I wanted this. _Want_ this. I, ah... I actually kind of like it. Being this full.”

Dedue flushed at his words, unable to meet his gaze as he nodded. Ashe _liked_ it? What was that supposed to mean? Did he like it the way Dedue did? Perhaps he wasn’t alone— and perhaps he wasn’t such a disgrace. There were willowy fingers on his chin then, turning his face toward Ashe, and his eyes widened fractionally. The other man simply smiled, a sweet and reassuring thing that told Dedue everything he needed to know— that it was okay. “Can you pass me one of those? The one with the blackberry on top,” the smaller man asked softly, and Dedue complied. He’d never been able to say no to Ashe.

The other man would spend some time working on one treat before politely requesting the next, and Dedue watched with rapt attention (though he was still terribly embarrassed) as Ashe finished every single one he was handed. Dedue never pushed, never asked, simply doing just as the other man said. 

Before long, Ashe’s shirt had ridden up to expose a sliver of porcelain skin smattered with freckles. His belly rose and fell with every breath, the swell of it defined under his straining shirt. His eyes were closed, lashes fanning out over his cheeks as he ran a hand over his swollen stomach, fingers splayed across its surface as he rubbed away any aches he felt. Dedue was enraptured, watching Ashe pant and let out tiny sounds as he got accustomed to the weight of his belly.

“Are you alright?” Dedue asked softly, almost afraid to do so out of fear of what his voice might sound like. Ashe merely smiled, blinking open bleary eyes and looking rather pleased with himself. 

“‘M full. Really full. So, I’m good. Thank you, Dedue,” he said softly, laying a free hand over Dedue’s and making the man startle.

“I did nothing to deserve your thanks,” he replied quietly, looking at the way their hands overlapped instead of the way Ashe’s belly curved out from his slight frame. “Are you in pain?”

Ashe shook his head. “Not much. I’m really okay, I promise. I used to do this all the time,” he admitted with a soft laugh that made him wince a bit, hand flying to the top of his tummy. “But I wouldn’t say no to a little help, of course,” he continued with a warm smile. 

Shyly, tentatively, almost fearfully, Dedue reached out a hand, placing it on the swell of Ashe’s belly. He was surprised by its firmness, taut and tight as a drum, and his eyes flickered up as the other man made a soft sound. He was afraid he’d hurt Ashe until the other shifted against his hand, pressing into his touch almost sheepishly. Dedue couldn’t help but smile softly, working his hands along the curve of Ashe’s belly to chase away aches and leave comfort in his wake. Soon enough, Ashe seemed to be dozing, lashes fluttering drowsily, and Dedue took that as his cue to send the man off to bed.

“I’m going to lift you,” he said softly, to which Ashe only nodded and threw his arms around the taller man’s neck as he was gently scooped from his seat. Making sure not to jostle him, Dedue carried his burden out of the kitchen and back to Ashe’s room where peaceful and dreamless sleep would hopefully find him.

When Dedue retired to his own room, he had no trouble at all falling asleep, dreaming only of mint leaves and pastry crusts.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading my embarrassing self indulgent babble :’) 
> 
> drop a comment or some kudos and I’ll give you imaginary shortbread <3


End file.
